Gaso.Line British Military Vehicles

Gaso.Line has developed an extensive line of diecast and resin military vehicles that, in many instances, marries a chassis from the Solido/Verem line with specially designed resin parts produced by Gaso.Line. All of the vehicles you see here are produced in limited runs, sometimes numbering only a few dozen pieces, making them valuable additions to any military enthusiast's collection. These vehicles are built and imported directly from France, making them hard to come by in the North American marketplace.

In 1938, Britian's Mechanisation Board had Alvis Limited, BSA Cycles Limited, and Morris Commercial Cars Limited submit prototypes for a turretless scouting vehicle. The Daimler version was designed as a fast reconnaissance and liaison vehicle so out of the three designs submitted the one from BSA's (Daimler's owner) was selected. The Dingo featured a front wheel drive, sliding roof over the crew, and a potbelly cab.

In 1938, Britian's Mechanisation Board had Alvis Limited, BSA Cycles Limited, and Morris Commercial Cars Limited submit prototypes for a turretless scouting vehicle. The Daimler version was designed as a fast reconnaissance and liaison vehicle so out of the three designs submitted the one from BSA's (Daimler's owner) was selected. The Dingo featured a front wheel drive, sliding roof over the crew, and a potbelly cab.

As military vehicles go, the White M3A1 scout car was relatively short-lived during the war. First produced in 1938, it was basically obsolete as a frontline vehicle after the North African campaign because of its limited seating capacity. Initially, the scout car was primarily used by armored and reconnaissance units, but it was more suited to road use than cross-country terrain, so the larger and more robust half-track was developed.

In July 1941, after the British experience in North Africa, the US Ordnance Committee gave design specifications for a medium and heavy armored car. Ford developed a 6-wheeled pilot model and Chevrolet a 4-wheeled model in September 1941. On October 15th, 1942, a committee was formed from Armored Force, Cavalry, Tank Destroyer, and Ordnance personnel to consider the armored cars in design or production.

The original role envisaged for the Universal Carrier was for a fast, lightly armed vehicle to carry infantry across ground denied by small-arms fire and specifically, the Bren light machine gun and its team, hence the name Bren Gun Carrier.

The original role envisaged for the Universal Carrier was for a fast, lightly armed vehicle to carry infantry across ground denied by small-arms fire and specifically, the Bren light machine gun and its team, hence the name Bren Gun Carrier.

The original role envisaged for the Universal Carrier was for a fast, lightly armed vehicle to carry infantry across ground denied by small-arms fire and specifically, the Bren light machine gun and its team, hence the name Bren Gun Carrier.

The practice of waterproofing vehicles had contributed to the success of earlier amphibious operations. When landing across open beaches it was necessary to keep the flow of traffic moving to allow speedy disembarkment from landing craft and the crafts swift removal from the area of operation. This enabled the fighting units to become operational on land quickly and maintain the momentum of the assault.

In 1941, the British were searching for a suitable armored vehicle to mount the standard British 25-pounder gun. The Canadians were producing the Ram tank, soon to be replaced by American M3s, and these were altered to accommodate the 25-pounder, becoming known as the Sexton.

The Sherman Firefly was a British variation of the M4 Sherman tank, fitted with the more powerful 17 pounder main gun. The nickname Firefly quickly became synonymous with any M4 Sherman fitted with this gun, and while plans were devised to modify the Sherman IV, only the Sherman I and V were used in the end.